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Old 27th February 2006, 7:21 AM   #1
unimoko
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Angry Self-Defeating Habits

How do you get yourself out a rountine that you know is dysfunctional and you know the end result?
I mean you can read all the self-help books you want, spend tons of $$ in therapy, gripe endlessly to friends. Only to discover you have all the insight but have no escape plan.
How do you get out?
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Old 27th February 2006, 8:45 AM   #2
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You make a choice and you do it.
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Old 27th February 2006, 9:06 AM   #3
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That's pretty much it. All the preparation can be laying a foundation or the procrastinator's dream come true. It's helpful to sit down and force yourself to be with your emotions, experience them without defensive reaction, to understand why a reluctance to make the extra effort and extra steps to make plans reality are occuring.

What fear is keeping you from following through. How do you face your fear?
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Old 27th February 2006, 9:30 AM   #4
unimoko
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Fear

I think that is the root of all setbacks. You know that this thing isn't working out for you but you are afraid because its all you know. Its your reference point. And all the logic, insight, and wisdom does not do a thing.
I was reading this book called "Too late smart, too soon old" and one of the chapters was title "It is difficult to remove something with logic that was not placed by logic in the first place"
Funny, really. Maybe what I am saying is how do you get over the fear?
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Old 27th February 2006, 10:10 AM   #5
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You have to want the desired outcome more than anything else. You won't get slim until you WANT it badly. You won't quit a bad habit until you WANT to badly.
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Old 27th February 2006, 10:17 AM   #6
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how do you get over fear? I have to disagree that it's related to the strength of desire. I've done that millions of times with dismal results. You have to face it, simply. Sometimes visualizatino helps but ultimately, you have to stand before it unafraid. Or at least, not letting them see you afraid. hah.
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Old 27th February 2006, 10:54 AM   #7
unimoko
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Should we hit rock bottom?

Is it true that we only being to change is when we hit rock bottom?
I was talking to a friend about it and she was saying what is wrong with hitting rock bottom. There is noway to go but up?
I don't know. Everytime I think that I have it figured out, there is always something else to contemplate.
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Old 27th February 2006, 10:56 AM   #8
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We are only motivated to change when the consequences of self-defeating or self-harming behavior are severe enough to make an individual unable to tolerate living in those circumstances any longer.

I've been on the bottom and there defiantely IS something wrong with it because if sucks. Living out of your car, homeless, no friends, no family to support you, all alone, with nothing but your self-defeating behavior to keep you company? Hah. I encourage your friend to try it out and see how she likes it.

PS - you'll never figure everything out. Until you're dead.
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Old 27th February 2006, 11:09 AM   #9
unimoko
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I agree rock bottom is some scary stuff. My friend is a Somali Refuge, so to her I guess as long as you have somewhere at night to lay your head and a bit of food to eat that you are okay. She says that America is paradise, the land of milk and honey.
But I digress....So you have to want it bad it enough, that's how you change? With all the scraps and the bruses along the way.
I wonder why on a sub-conscious level we fight change so much? I guess I am just going through the growing pains. Because in all honesty I have been improving. I have been at work on my addiction for 3 years now. And its so funny that along the way other issues that I did not even think was a problem came along on the way.
How complicated us humans are....
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Old 27th February 2006, 11:13 AM   #10
blind_otter
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Quote:
Originally Posted by unimoko
I wonder why on a sub-conscious level we fight change so much? I guess I am just going through the growing pains. Because in all honesty I have been improving. I have been at work on my addiction for 3 years now. And its so funny that along the way other issues that I did not even think was a problem came along on the way.
How complicated us humans are....
You fight change because it takes you away from your comfort zone -- what you know, even if it's painful, is less frightening than what you don't know/aren't used to. And your entire self-concept can change dramatically.

Being a refugee isn't exactly hitting rock bottom, because you're not there because of the choices you made, or the actions you did/didn't do....it's apples and oranges. On the one hand you are victimized and traumatized by forces greater than yourself. On the other, you are victimized and traumatized by the stupid mistakes/decisions you made all by yourself. The scenarios are not comparable.
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Old 27th February 2006, 11:28 AM   #11
unimoko
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Addiction is a weird animal.
Sometimes it developed as a coping mechanism in a dysfucntional/trumatic environment, other times its used to mask pain (another coping strategy), and other times we are just biologically disposed to it.
And its crazy that you do not really realise its an addiction into it becomes unmanageable and starts to destroy your life.
Falling down is so much easier than climbing up.
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Old 27th February 2006, 11:35 AM   #12
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well yeah. it's alwasy easier to throw downhill, ain't it? they always say that in baseball....
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Old 27th February 2006, 11:55 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blind_otter
well yeah. it's alwasy easier to throw downhill, ain't it? they always say that in baseball....

Or just throw down... Scabs the clown wants to show you Mr Wiggles.. You game ?
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Old 27th February 2006, 12:00 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by Art_Critic
Or just throw down... Scabs the clown wants to show you Mr Wiggles.. You game ?
bring it. woodworker.
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Old 27th February 2006, 12:32 PM   #15
sad girl mad girl
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Thumbs up i need help he needs help

slowly take the steps you need
watch yourself move towards your goal
don't be upset with yourself if you fall get up and keep looking to your goal
look on the bright side of your situation once you make it you will help others in your situation it is lifes journey
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